Staying within the Scope of Practice for Holistic Nutrition Professionals (HNPs) is critical. Unless you’re a licensed practitioner, your scope doesn’t allow you to diagnose, treat, cure, prevent, prescribe, heal, mitigate or manage any disease state.
Instead, our job as HNPs is to advise individuals, families, and groups on improving diet, lifestyle, and attitude to promote health founded on evidence-based and holistic principles.
Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is an evidence-based, individualized nutrition process to treat certain medical conditions. The term MNT was introduced in 1994 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. MNT is developed and implemented by a dietitian with the approval of the patient’s doctor. Services are provided in an institutional setting such as a hospital, outpatient clinic, or as part of a Telehealth program in states where dietitians are permitted to provide these services. Medical Nutrition Therapy was developed to manage chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, by instituting a personalized diet and meal plan to reduce symptoms of specific conditions and prevent further health complications.
Holistic Nutrition Professionals should not provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to their clients as we are not licensed to treat or manage a disease or medical condition. If you have questions about working within our industry’s Scope of Practice, please get in touch with laura@nanp.org.
